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Meat Care and Submerging under water

I've searched and searched for the post that had someone sharing how they would dry their game meat and then submerge it in a pond or lake while hunting out in the bush using a dive bag.

I'm thinking of how to care for meat in bear country with temps being anywhere from 40-70 with lots to little rain. I'm also planning on there being very little vegetation available in the area that I'm planning on hunting. There will be a fair amount of alders but they will be lower then where I am planning on being until we get picked up.

Any suggestions for care of that meat when in the field aside from citric acid, hanging from a pole, or laying on a pile of brush? I could be out for up to ten days, depending on weather.

I have successfully used dry bags to keep meat cool in water - place the cooled out meat into game bags, then into the dry bag, then into a lake. Try to get as much air out of the bag as possible so it doesn't float... be sure to tie them off to something as well.

I've done this when sheep hunting and areas to hang meat are limited. Into a game bag, then into a contractor garbage bag. Submerged just long enough to get the temps down, then out to dry. It gets the meat cool quickly, but it's still good to get air on them to dry it off. If you don't do this, it takes a long time to cool the meat off. Probably not needed for a late season hunt when it's cool out.

The so-called "water cool method" is intended to be used at the kill site, while there is still body heat in the carcass. It is designed to prevent bone sour, where the fluids around the bones become rancid as a result of the meat not cooling fast enough. You can get this if the ambient air temperature is in the mid 60's or higher. Much lower than that, and it's not normally needed.

I would never advise using the river or lake as a meat cooler. You're going to get tons of surface moisture as a result, and you will create an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Open the bag at the end of the hunt, and you've got green meat covered in goo.

Get the meat cool, keep it dry and clean, and you should be good to go. If bears are a potential issue (not the bear you fear, but the one that's actually there), use an electric fence and / or attend the meat.

IF there is water nearby, I put my clean meat into a regular canvas game bag, then into the water for at least an hour. Then I hang it up without the bag and within another hour it has a nice glaze on it, especially if there is any breeze at all. It works great on moose, caribou and sheep. On my fishing boat, I do the same thing with black bear and deer. Hang them over the side and then up into the rigging to glaze. I don't worry about keeping the meat dry at first, because it is already moist after being skinned. I was told to do this by an old butcher, and tried it years ago. It works really well.

IF there is water nearby, I put my clean meat into a regular canvas game bag, then into the water for at least an hour. Then I hang it up without the bag and within another hour it has a nice glaze on it, especially if there is any breeze at all. It works great on moose, caribou and sheep. On my fishing boat, I do the same thing with black bear and deer. Hang them over the side and then up into the rigging to glaze. I don't worry about keeping the meat dry at first, because it is already moist after being skinned. I was told to do this by an old butcher, and tried it years ago. It works really well.

Agreed, have done this a few times with moose (we have gin clear lakes nearby). Hung over the side of a boat or on clean submerged gravel in a canvas game bag to get out that initial heat, hung naked for a few hours if bugs allow, and then rebagged with dry bags, hung and tarped til our departure.

It's not my go to, but I have no reservations about doing it right after the kill to get that heat out.

We did not have any issue of meat spoiling but we did change out the meat bags every day though. I forgot to put that in my original post. The meat was in the water (in dry bags) for 8 days. no issues at all. And the meat was great. I suppose everyone has their own experiences to draw from.

I put deer meet in meat sacks right into a creek for several days on an early hunt in the mountains of eastern Wa. It washed most of the blood out of the meat. Was very mild tasting. Reminded me of Veal. It was a cold, fast moving stream. Weather was in the 70's, so hanging wasn't a great option.

I have used a couple methods to cool meat on extended hunts with hot weather. One is to double bag my meat in compactor bags and then into a dry bag and tie it to a alder and drop it into a cold water source during the heat of the day. I then remove it as soon as the day cool and hang it to air dry and repeat as needed. I use a meat thermometer to monitor core temps, and I have never lost any meat.

Another method I have used on Kodiak is to place my meat into a plastic tote and place it into a swallow stream and place several heavy rocks on top of it and also tie it off to prevent it for washing away if water levels rise unexpectedly. On Kodiak there are several small streams that run through the alders and have shade and this is where I try to use this method. Helps also to keep a electric fence around as well. Again the meat is removed after the heat of the day has passed, this method works well at keeping scent down too.

Steve

"I refuse to let the things I can't do stop me from doing the things I can"
Founding Member
http://www.residenthuntersofalaska.org/

Hang/brush pile yous meats when you get it, do not get it wet, you will get mold , fly eggs and slimy bacteria...... A dry crust is much better and flys cannot get eggs to stay or hatch on dry crust like they can damp or wet meats.

Piss around your meats, it makes a fence Bears wont cross.

Make your camp at least 25 yards away from where you hang your meats.

We do this in camp, sprint till Falls end, racks of Salmon and other fish, Caribou, Oogruk, Walrus , Muskox meats hanging in Summer, and have never once had a Bear "cross the line" every one I know up this way thats lived in a camp does this and I just dont know any locals that have had Bear problems, ever.

The only "Variable" I can think of would be Bears that are conditione to Human activity. The Bears here are still "Wild", and naturally run from People and gunshots...........just sayin'

Hang/brush pile yous meats when you get it, do not get it wet, you will get mold , fly eggs and slimy bacteria...... A dry crust is much better and flys cannot get eggs to stay or hatch on dry crust like they can damp or wet meat.

I've never had a problem with flies, mold or spoilage after soaking in water and then hanging to dry. On the other hand, I've had lots of flies and bacteria around the bottom of the hind quarters because of all the rotting blood around the ball joint. Just my experience. I always rinse the meat if I can do it soon after the kill. Once your meat is hung, I agree that all precautions should be taken to keep it dry and ventilated.

When caibou hunting up north we field dress the bou, then dunk it in the river to cool it dow for 5 mins or so, assuming its not snowing that is.
Then haul them back home, up to a week later, and this works well for us.
Helps to clean out the cavity as well.

Pws deer and bear we have dunked the field dressed animal in the ocean right after field dressing also for same reasons.

I wouldn't do this on a daily basis, but right after harvesting it seems to help.
Bk

I get most of my moose back to my shop whole. I'd rather get it out of the field in one piece than to pack it. I use rope or cable with blocks to drag them out. Sometimes quite a distance. (halibut ground line works well on the smaller bulls) After getting them home, I hang them by the head and hose them off, inside and out with a 1" fire hose. Gets all the dabris out of the hide and body cavity and helps cool them. I then hang them in the shop and start skinning. Looks like a beef hanging in a locker when I'm done. I've heard over and over to not get the meat wet, but my experience says it's a good thing considering the cooling and cleaner meat. The carcass dries quickly while hanging. I usually cut them up asap also since most of my moose are taken in the bow season when the weather is still too warm to let them hang more than a day or so.